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Thursday, January 14, 2016

10 Things I Want My Children to Remember Forever

If there
were only a handful of things you could teach your children, what would they
be? In last week’s blog, I mentioned that we often err in our approach to problem
solving because we believe in the basic goodness of man. Yet, the Bible teaches
us that we have all sinned and are in need of help. This is why there is so
much teaching in the Bible on how we should raise our children.

The Bible
says, “…foolishness is bound up in the
heart of a child.” (Proverbs 22:15). It teaches us “…to train up a child in the way he should go…”(Proverbs 22:6). What
do you teach them? You can teach your child many things, but there are only a
handful you can emphasize and plant firmly in their hearts.When we were young parents, my wife and I centered
in on these ten things:

2.Place God first consistently (Exodus 20:3).
Every gift of God is a potential idol. It’s easy to worship the gift more than
the One who gives it. Idols can vary from money, fame, popularity, family, or
career. Idols will always let you down.

3.Believe the Bible completely (Deuteronomy
6:6, 7). The early Jewish nation was instructed to teach the Bible to their
children. Why? Because the Bible is God’s Word. It gives us instruction,
wisdom, and leads us to know God. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for
teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.”

4.Trust God tenaciously (Proverbs 3:5-6). My
kids needed to realize that they were always better off trusting God than going
their own way. Sometimes what we see, hear, or experience seems to contradict
our faith. Our children need to understand we do not know the whole truth on
any matter. Only God knows the whole truth. We must trust Him to receive the
blessings He has for us (Hebrews 10:36).

5.Stand alone courageously. Research shows that
nine out of ten children do not possess the natural courage to stand against
the crowd. People often form their beliefs based on the beliefs of the group
they most want to be a part of. Therefore, if we do not teach our children to
stand alone, it does not matter what else we teach them.

About Me

Dr. Dwayne Mercer is a native of Georgia. He and his wife, Pam, have three adult children and five adorable grandchildren. They have served at CrossLife Church since 1993, as it has grown from 650 to 2,400, and over 4,000 new believers have been baptized during that time.
A graduate of Toccoa Falls College, Southwestern, and Mid-America Seminaries, it was here that he learned his love for God’s Word. His passion is to reach people for Christ and seeing them grow in their walk with God.
“I’m honored to lead CrossLife Church alongside my wife, Pam. We are grateful to be with such wonderful people and look forward to our promising future.”